Nigerian Oncologist Completes First Radiotherapy PhD in South Africa
A doctor from Borno State completed a PhD comparing shorter and standard radiotherapy courses for breast, cervical, and prostate cancer at a Durban hospital. The research found comparable survival rates with reduced treatment time and cost.
prnewswire.comA Nigerian doctor completed a PhD dissertation in radiotherapy and oncology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, described by supervisors as the first such degree awarded in South Africa. The research examined whether shorter courses of radiotherapy, known as hypofractionation, produce outcomes similar to conventional schedules for patients with breast, cervical, and prostate cancer.
Data came from Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in Durban, where the doctor works as a consulting oncologist. Results showed no significant difference in five-year survival rates between the two approaches. Breast-cancer patients treated with the shorter schedule received care at nearly half the cost, and cervical-cancer patients completed treatment in 35 days instead of 62.
Background and motivation The doctor traces the decision to specialize in oncology to an encounter with a young woman in north-eastern Nigeria who lacked access to radiation therapy. At the time, the region had no oncology unit and no radiation machine; patients requiring such treatment traveled up to ten hours to the nearest facility.
Specialty training was unavailable in Nigeria, leading the doctor to Stellenbosch University in 2014 for a four-year Master of Medicine in radiation oncology. The dissertation built on that training and addressed resource constraints common across sub-Saharan Africa.
Research findings and implications The study also considered patients who carry additional health burdens such as HIV. Published findings in Frontiers in Oncology in 2025 noted that hypofractionation could reduce waiting times, travel, and work absences for patients and families.
Supervisors at the University of KwaZulu-Natal stated the dissertation was the first PhD in the discipline at that institution and, to their knowledge, the first in South Africa. The doctor continues to practice at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital while publishing additional papers on radiotherapy delivery in low-resource settings.
